Medication management system

• US 20040128162A1
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Coffman, Damon J., Vanderveen, Timothy W., Rickerson, Stuart E., Lee, Bradford A., Schlotterbeck, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,835,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0463 for multiple patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

A system and method for confirming that a medication administration device has been programmed with the correct medication administration parameters. A medical database carrier is used compare medication delivery parameters entered into a medication administration device to institutionally established guidelines or more widely accepted protocols to ensure that the medication is delivered in accordance to those guidelines. The medical database carrier may also be configured to communicate information regarding medication delivery and other patient information between a control system in communication with the care-giving facility'"'"'s other information systems and a patient specific asset such as an infusion pump. The medical database carrier may be a smartcard, a PDA such as a Palm™ Pilot, laptop computer, pager, mobile phone, or other device capable of storing, processing and communicating information. The system may use either wired or wireless connections to communicate information between the components of the system.

Claims

1. A system for use with an infusion pump for reducing the possibility of medication errors, the infusion pump being capable of being programmed with pumping parameters, the system comprising:

a first program configured to accept user inputs related to pump operating parameter limits and to generate a data base from those user inputs; and

a second program located in an infusion pump configured to;

receive the pump parameter data base generated by the first program;

compare pumping parameters programmed into the infusion pump by an operator with the data base; and

monitor the comparison and if the comparison exceeds the limits established in the data base, provide an indication to a pump operator that the programmed pumping parameter is outside the limits in the data base.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first program is configured to be executed on a first computer separate from the infusion pump.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first program includes names of drugs and associates multiple pumping parameters with at least one of said drugs.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second program causes the pump to display a visual indication to the operator that the programmed pumping parameter is outside the limits selected by the facility in which the pump is located.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the indication presented to the operator further queries the operator as to whether the operator desires to override the indication.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the second program creates a log of all comparisons that exceed the limits established in the data base.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first program comprises an editor subprogram that enables an operator of a first computer to generate a data base of pumping parameters associated with multiple drugs; and

the first program is also configured to have a second subprogram that, when commanded, will install the data base in a selected infusion pump.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the infusion pump comprises a processor that automatically compares the programmed pumping parameters to the data base that has been installed in the pump and immediately presents an indication of a program parameter that is outside the data base as it is detected.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the infusion pump comprises a processor that automatically compares the programmed pumping parameters to the data base that has been installed in the pump one-by-one as they are entered into the pump and presents an indication of a program parameter that is outside the data base if such is detected.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the second program is further configured to:

prevent an operator from initiating pumping action of the pump once an indication of a parameter being outside the data base is presented until; and

permitting an operator to initiate pumping action of the pump once the operator has either changed the outside parameter to be within the limits in the data base or indicated that the operator desires to proceed regardless of the out of limits parameter.

11. A system for reducing the possibility of medication errors, the system comprising:

a medical database carrier having;

a memory for storing medical data base information;

a processor capable of being programmed to manipulate information communicated to the medical database carrier or stored in the memory; and

communication means for receiving information from a source external to the medical database carrier and also for transmitting information from the medical database carrier to an external receiver; and

a patient specific asset having;

communication means for communicating medication administration information from the patient specific asset to the medical database carrier;

wherein the processor of the medical database carrier is configured to manipulate medication administration information received from the patient specific asset to compare such information to the medical data base information stored in the memory of the medical database carrier and to provide an indication of the result of the comparison.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the medication data base carrier comprises a portable data processing device.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the medication data base carrier comprises a portable computer having a display and a data entry device.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the communication means of the patient specific asset is further for receiving data from the medication database carrier; and

wherein the patient specific asset is configured such that it cannot deliver medication to a patient unless it has received a comparison signal from the medical database carrier.

15. A system for use with a patient medical device, the device having specific operating data associated with it, the system comprising:

a first processor configured to accept user inputs related to operating data limits associated with the medical device and to generate a data base from those user inputs; and

a second processor configured to;

receive the data base generated by the first processor;

compare the actual operating data of the medical device with the data base limits; and

monitor the comparison and if the comparison shows that actual operating data of the medical device exceed the limits established in the data base, provide an indication the operating data of the medical device are outside the limits in the data base.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the first processor is separate from the medical device.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the first processor includes names of drugs and associates multiple medical device operating parameters with at least one of said drugs.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the second processor causes the medical device to display a visual indication that the operating data are outside the limits selected by the facility in which the medical device is located.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the visual indication displayed further queries an operator as to whether the operator desires to override the indication.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the second processor creates a log of all comparisons that exceed the limits established in the data base.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein:

the first processor comprises an editor subprogram that enables an operator to generate a data base of operating parameters associated with multiple drugs; and

the first processor is also configured to have a second subprogram that, when commanded, will install the data base in a selected medical device.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the medical device comprises a third processor that automatically compares the operating data one-by-one as they are entered into the medical device to the data base that has been installed in the medical device and immediately presents an indication of the programmed data that is outside the data base as it is detected.

23. The system according to claim 15 wherein the second processor is further configured to:

prevent an operator from initiating operation of the medical device once an indication of data being outside the data base is presented; and

permitting an operator to operate the medical device once the operator has either changed the outside data to be within the limits in the data base or indicated that the operator desires to proceed regardless of the out of limits data.

24. The system according to claim 15 wherein the first and second processor are a single processor that is configured to:

accept user inputs related to operating data limits associated with the medical device and to generate a data base from those user inputs;

compare the actual operating data of the medical device with the data base limits; and

monitor the comparison and if the comparison shows that actual operating data of the medical device exceed the limits established in the data base, provide an indication that the operating data of the medical device are outside the limits in the data base

25. A method for reducing the possibility of medication errors, the method comprising:

storing a drug library having delivery data in a medical database carrier;

receiving delivery data of a patient specific asset;

comparing the received delivery data to the delivery data in the drug library; and

providing an indication of the result of the comparison.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of storing comprises storing the drug library in a medical database carrier that is portable.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of inhibiting the patient specific asset from delivering medication to a patient if the indication of the comparison is negative.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of permitting an operator of the patient specific asset to override the step of inhibiting the patient specific asset.